Fidel Castro: The End of a Legend

The news was brief; former President and leader of the Cuban communist revolution, Fidel Castro, passed away at the age of 90... Just hours before midnight on Friday, November 25, 2016, Cuban state television broadcast the news without any commentary, and moments later, despite Castro's health condition making the news somewhat expected, millions of words of news and interpretation flowed through news agencies and spread across the world. Fidel Castro's death, occurring in the final weeks of Barack Obama's presidency, is an event that will be analyzed and examined in various ways in world history for years and decades to come. Barack Obama's name is mentioned in this context because during his presidency, after negotiations with Raul Castro, Fidel's brother, the economic blockade imposed by the United States against Cuba was finally lifted after more than half a century, while Fidel Castro continued his challenge against the U.S. The day after the lifting of sanctions was announced, Fidel Castro wrote a note rejecting Obama's move towards normalization and peace, stating that Cuba does not need what the U.S. has to offer. For several decades, Fidel Castro was a symbol of a revolutionary leader who had legendary influence not only in Latin America but also across other continents. Hugo Chavez in Venezuela considered him his ideological godfather, and many non-communist leaders with leftist tendencies, even in the Islamic world, tried to present themselves in a Castro-like manner. Gradually, Castro's beard and Havana cigars became revolutionary symbols, and he was able to maintain the loyalty of millions of Cubans through this successful myth-making. Before the 1979 revolution in countries like Iran, the guerrilla warfare tactics of Che Guevara and Fidel Castro, which led to the victory of revolutionaries over the Batista regime in Cuba, inspired the formation of the People's Fadaee Guerrillas. However, after the revolution, the leaders of the Islamic Republic suppressed any movements in the style of Fidel Castro, while also modeling their charisma after him or aligning themselves with Fidel Castro and his comrades in Latin America to organize their hostility against the U.S. However, the Castro model was more effective for Cuba itself. He repeatedly demonstrated his verbal ability to turn difficult moments into very favorable opportunities. Once, Playboy magazine asked Castro how he would respond to Ronald Reagan's description of him as a ruthless military dictator. Castro's response was very interesting and unexpected: 'If being a dictator means ruling through issuing commands, then the same could be said about the Pope, and he could be accused of being a dictator too.' Castro then turned the discussion back to Reagan, asking the Playboy reporter, 'If he (Reagan) has this demonic and undemocratic power to issue a command for a nuclear war, I ask you, who is more of a dictator, the President of the United States or me?' It should not be forgotten that the Pope (John Paul II), during his visit to Havana in 1996, unexpectedly called the U.S. embargo against Cuba 'unjust and a moral wrong,' which was politically advantageous for Castro. Additionally, it was thanks to the valuable efforts of Pope Francis in 2014 that a dialogue was opened between Raul Castro and Barack Obama, ultimately leading to the lifting of Cuba's sanctions. The irony of history here is that the U.S. President did not have the vote or approval of Congress to lift the sanctions but resorted to the same 'command' that Castro considered a 'reason for dictatorship.' For a long time, Fidel Castro avoided confirming that his movement was communist and Marxist, managing his revolution against the then-dictator of Cuba, Batista, through the slogan 'Freedom or Death.' When, following the Cold War events and the establishment of Soviet missiles in Cuba, the crisis escalated into the Bay of Pigs confrontation, Castro's ideological dependency also became public, and he officially declared himself a Marxist-Leninist in a lengthy speech on December 2, 1961. At that time, many Cubans accused him of betrayal, claiming he had put the Cuban people in great danger. Following these events, a multitude of Cubans left the island, primarily settling in Florida, hoping to one day return to their homeland. Anthony De Palma provided a very readable analysis of Fidel Castro's life in the New York Times, pointing out an important point: 'Although Fidel Castro was committed to ideological communism, he never established a communist government or a government run under the directives of the Communist Party.' According to him, the Cuban government was less centered on 'the doctrine of communism' and was practically founded on the application of communism in a region where society had become accustomed to a certain hierarchy. That hierarchy managed the state of education, health, and the economy in the country, achieved at the cost of 'depriving the people of freedom of expression and economic opportunities.' Fidel Castro continued to speak to the Cuban people until just a few months ago. In April of this year, on the last day of the Cuban Communist Party Congress, he proclaimed to the people that Cubans 'will prevail' and repeated his revolutionary slogan: 'Towards victory, always!' In this speech, he expressed surprise at soon turning 90, stating, 'It will be our turn soon.' Numerous interviews with Fidel Castro have been published in the American press. Studying these interviews can serve as an introduction to a deeper understanding of society, politics, and governance in Cuba, as well as the role Cuba played among non-aligned countries. What can be pointed out in this brief is that Fidel Castro, like all idealistic leaders, has supporters in Cuba who will never replace his memory with any other legacy; however, the same Fidel Castro has opponents among Cubans abroad who hold a lasting grudge and eternal hatred towards him. Fidel Castro, who survived several assassination attempts, had one of the longest political lives among leaders (excluding monarchs). His death will not lead to a major political transformation since he effectively handed over his lifelong presidency to his brother Raul Castro in 2006. Raul, born in 1931, was appointed as the new leader by the National Council of Cuba in 2008 as the head of the Council of State and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Cuba. When Che Guevara, Fidel Castro's comrade, was executed by Bolivian military forces on October 9, 1967, his body, along with six other comrades, was displayed. Later, it was rumored that Guevara's body was burned by the Bolivian army and that the displayed body was not Guevara's, as even his ashes had been scattered to the wind. Now, Fidel Castro's body is set to be cremated on Saturday. It is still officially unclear what will happen to his ashes, but what is certain is that several days of national mourning will be observed.